Pritch



(No Model.)

W. H. REDFORD.

PRITGH.

N0. 456,431. Patented July 21, 1891.

IINTTED STATES a ATENT FFICE.

\VILLIAM II. REDFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456331, dated July 21, 1891. Application filed November 21, 1890. Serial No. 372,155. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. REDFORD, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Iritch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a tool known among butchers as a pritch. This tool is used to support dead cattle during the operation of,

flaying them. In such operation the body is laid fiat upon the back, and a prop of some sort is necessary to keep it in position. For this purpose a round stick with a spike in each end has been largely used, one of the spikes being stuck into the floor, which is rendered slippery by the blood thereon, and the other spike thrust into the body of the animal. To thrust such a spike into the unskinned portion of the body is very objectionable, as it makes a hole in the skin and lessens the value of the hide. To avoid this pritches have been employed, bearing a spike at one end and having at the other end a ferrule having aserrated rim,the end of the pritch bearing the spike being thrust into the floor and the other end placed against the body. This was an improvement, as the toothed ferrule supported the body firmly when placed against the hide, and at the same time caused no damage to the latter; but in using this sort of a pritch a difficulty was met with when the skin had been removed from one side of the body and the prop was changed to this side, as the ferrule then engaged directly with the slippery flesh of the animal and was liable to slide off of the same. It is my purpose to remove this last difficulty, and I have attained thisobject bycombiningthe merits of the older two-spike pritch with those of the later spike and ferrule-pritch. I do this by providing one end of the pritch with the ordinary spike, and the other end with both a spike and toothed ferrule or its equivalent, and mounting the spike and ferrule in such a manner that one may be either advanced to sustain the load or withdrawn out of the way to allow the other to receive the same. It is immaterial what exact constructionis selected, and I have made several different forms, of which the one that I believe to be the most simple, reliable, and convenient is described spee cifically in this specification. I do not, however, limit myself to this particular construction, or to any portion thereof, except as care- 5 5 fully pointed out and defined in the claims made herein.

The drawings attached hereto show said preferred construction by means of three figures, of which Figures 1 and :2 show the complete pritch with a portion of the stick broken away, and Fig. 3 shows the same with one of the parts removed.

Referring to the figures by means of referonce-letters applied to the different parts of the device, A represents the stick or prop, which need not differ materially from that which has been in common use in a pritch, and has rigidly secured in each end a spike a a. Upon one end of said stick a sleeve B is looselyfitted, having one of its ends roughened by forming teeth I) thereon, and being provided with a slot Z), having a portion b extending longitudinally of the sleeve and a 75, branch 12 extending lateral y from the longitudinal portion and preferably forming an acute angle therewith. A pin a adapted to move freely in the slot 1), is inserted through said slot into the stick A in such a position that when said pin rests in the upper portion of the longitudinal part of the slot, as seen in Fig. l, the sleeve will be withdrawn out of the way of the spike a and will be supported upon the body of the stick, as seen in the fig 8 ure; but when the pin rests in the oblique portion of the slot the toothed end of the sleeve will be advanced into a position where it shields the spike completely.

In using my device the butcher will place the sleeve in the position seen in Fig. 2, and raising the body of the animal, as desired, will thrust the spike a into the floor and press the serrated end of the sleeve against the hide. He will then remove the skin from one side of the beef, when he will support the beef with one hand and remove the pritch with the other, invert it to allow the sleeve to drop downward until the pin reaches the angle at which the two portions of the slot join, and Ice then, turning it back into the first position, he will allow the sleeve to drop down, as seen in Fig. 1, and apply the spike a, thus uncovered, to the flesh from which the skin has been removed, thrusting the spike at the opposite end into the floor, as before described.

Itvvill be seen that the manipulation of the device above described is exceedingly simple and easy, and furnishes a harmless support for the unskinned portion of the body, in combination with a reliable support for the portions from which the skin has been removed.

A great many variations could be made from my preferred construction without materially departing from the main features thereof.

As far as my invention, broadly considered, is concerned, it is immaterial whether the spike a or the slceveB be made movable. It is also immaterial what particular devices be employed to support the movable part in its desired positions or to shift it from one to the other. l

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A prop having at one enda spike a and at the otherend a sleeve Band a spike a, one of which is rigidly secured to the prop and the other removable and adjustable with respect thereto, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the prop A, having spiked ends, with the movable sleeve B, adjustably mounted on one end thereof, substantially as described.

The combination of the prop A, having the spikes Ct at and the pin a with the sleeve B, containing the slot 1), substantially as described.

XVILLIAM II. REDFORD.

\Vitnesses:

C. P. SMITH, H. BITNER. 

